Once Upon a Christmas Carol, book #48

 

Cute fun book I snuck in in-between reading all the Hometown Christmas Dreams Series, which apparently has vanished from Amazon.  Good thing it is downloaded on my Paperwhite!  

Anyhow, Hometown Christmas Dreams actually has EIGHT books in it, and I am afraid I will not get all the way through before I need to start on my January books!  I knew I needed to read this one for book club for sure before Christmastide got away from me, so after I finished two books in the HCD books, I went ahead and read this one.  Since it is a short novella I literally read it in one day.  I enjoyed it, but I kept getting it mixed up with the second story I had just finished in HCD! 

Carol Langstrom hates Christmas. Growing up in a dysfunctional home, with a birthday on December 25 and too many dashed childhood expectations, she would rather avoid the holiday season. And working in the design industry where she manages seasonal decor for wealthy, entitled clients certainly hasn't helped!   So, this year her goal is to flee to the Bahamas--by herself--bah humbug! But bad weather and God's radically different plan redirect her flight to blustery Michigan, where she gets stuck on her aunt's farm and discovers a different kind of Christmas--one wrapped in love, family, and holiday spirit. (picture and description at Amazon)

I am not sure how many more stories I will get through in HCD before I need to start on my January books, and I have a list started already!  When I finish my Christmas books I'll let you know our new plan for Book Club this year!  I'm excited!

Stay cozy!

Melissa

My NIV Bible, Halley's Bible Handbook, The Inspirational Study Bible, books 45-46 + 1/2

 

As my faithful followers know, I have been reading the Bible through for the past several years.  At last count, I think I have read it through 6-8 times in all my 50+ years, but there is always new stuff to learn!  I *may* be taking a break next year and doing something else, but that remains to be seen 😉

Last year our church read through the CSB Chronological BIble  and then each Sunday our pastor would preach on the chapters we had just read.  It was quite a year for me, and it seemed the passages we read weekly were exactly where I was in my life.  God was SOOO good in that!  This year, those who wanted to read through the Bible were given the suggestion of the M'Cheyne Reading Plan.  I really enjoyed this, as it is one that jumps back and forth between the old testament and new testament.  I love reading the Bible that way, reminding myself that the God who split the Red Sea is the same one who healed the woman with the blood issue who came to John in Revelation and told him all about what was coming.  

I wanted to try a Bible Marking System this year and I also wanted to dig a little deeper, rather than just reading the passages.  So I decided to use this old Halley's Bible Handbook while reading.  It was a leftover from my wonderful days at the TSC Church Library.  It was published in 1965, but God's truths are still true in 2025.  The language did get a little heady at times, but I did learn many new things with it.  I decided to use my NIV Thinline Bible Roger gave me for Christmas in 2002 as the main Bible, since it had very little marked up in it.  This Bible is now a beautiful rainbow of colors!

In the reading plan, you actually read through Psalms and the New Testament twice, so I decided to use a different version for the second time I went through.  For that one, I used the Inspirational Study Bible by Max Lucado, which I got from my father-in-law's house when they moved it.  He taught Sunday School for many, many years with it.  Now that he is in heaven with Jesus, it is a treasure I will keep!  I really liked the way that Bible is set up, as there was a little devotion/thought with most chapters for books that either Max Lucado or other amazing men and women wrote.  It was amazing to me how they were able to pull it together like that! Since I only read Psalms and the New Testament in that, I counted it as a half book! :)

I have a few days left to finish some Christmas books I am reading, so by the weekend I should have my wrap up ready! 

Merry Christmastide!

Melissa

A Bleu Streak Christmas, book 44

 

Wanted to squeeze in a quick book so I chose this one.  I thought I had read other books by this author, but apparently I haven't.  It was a pretty lame book, so I hope the other books I have by this author are better.

How does the band Bleu Streak celebrate the holidays? By singing, of course. Go on tour with this zany group as they get into all kinds of mischief along the way. Oh…And Maverick King? Oh yeah. This devilishly handsome drummer gets a special gift for Christmas. The trouble is trying to convince Izzy Walker to allow him to have her… (picture and description at Amazon)

Now on to hopefully a better Christmas book ...

Melissa

A Royal Christmas, book #43

 

A quick little Christmas read!  Melody Carlson is one of my favorite authors and this fun book was no different.  However, for the record, this book should not be confused with A Royal Christmas Wedding, by another one of my favorite authors, Rachel Hauck, or the Hallmark Movie, A Royal Christmas.  Three completely different stories 😄

Adelaide Smith is too busy for fairy tales.  She's been working hard to put herself through law school, and she's determined to stay focused on her goals. Then she receives a letter notifying her that she is a direct descendant of King Maximillian Konig V, the ruler of a small European principality called Montovia.  What? No. That's the stuff of cheesy made-for-TV movies, not real life.  Still, curiosity gets the best of her, leading to a Christmas break trip chock-full of surprises, including a charming village, an opulent palace, family mysteries, royal jealousies, a handsome young member of Parliament, and the chance at a real-life fairy tale romance. (picture and description at Amazon)

Even though it is only days away til Christmas and I have many fun things packed in, I hope to read at least 3 or 4 more before I jump into our FHS Book Club book next month! 

Merry Christmas!

Melissa

Amish Christmas at North Star: Four Stories of Love and Family, book #42

 

Always fun to visit the Amish at Christmas!  I didn't really like the way the short stories ended at first, but -- spoiler alert -- they wrap it up well at the end of the book!

One night four lives entered the world by the hands of an Amish midwife, just outside North Star, Pennsylvania.

Rebekah’s Babies, as they are called, are now grown adults and in four heartwarming novellas each young person experiences a journey of discovery, a possibility of love, and the wonder of Christmas.

Guiding Star by Katie Ganshert

Curiosity gets the best of Englischer Chase Wellington when he investigates the twenty-five-year-old disappearance of an Amish baby. When he finds adventurous Elle McAllister in Iowa will his discoveries upend her world?

Mourning Star by Amanda Flower

Eden Hochstetler slips from her parents’ fudge shop to investigate the death of her friend Isaac.  Who is guilty? Isaac’s handsome great nephew Jesse, an angry Englischer, or someone else?

In the Stars by Cindy Woodsmall

Heartbroken Kore Detweiler avoids North Star after Savilla Beiler rejects his love.  But when he is unexpectedly called to return home, he and Savilla must join forces to keep a family together.

Star of Grace by Mindy Starns Clark and Emily Clark

Andy Danner left North Star to join a new Amish settlement in Mississippi. His little brother devises a scheme to bring Andy home for Christmas and unwittingly unleashes the power of forgiveness in a reclusive widower’s life. (picture and description at Amazon)

Found a few more short stories to squeeze in before the end of the year.  And there are new things brewing for 2026! :)

Keep reading CHRISTMAS books!

O:)

Melissa

The Christmas Lodge and A Marriage Carol, books #40-41

 

     

I have loved getting on to good Christmas books finally.  Well, at least one of these was good.  I hate to say anything bad about my good buddies Chris Fabry and Gary Chapman, but ....

Book #40 was a true delight!  And I realized there are several more in the series!  

As the head of a thriving investment firm in St. Louis, Lacy Preston thinks she has it all… until her fast-paced life is disrupted one day by a single phone call. She’s shocked to discover that her estranged grandfather has died and left her his sprawling old house in Snowy Pine Ridge, New Hampshire.  Although it’s the last thing she wants to do, especially with the holidays approaching, Lacy decides to head to Snowy Pine Ridge to oversee the sale of the property. She has no intention of staying in the cozy little town, and no intention of keeping the historic building her grandfather—a man affectionately called St. Nick by the locals—passed on to her.  But as she works on renovating the old house to put it on the market, she gets to know the residents of the town, including local dog-sledder Derek Morse, who almost runs her over with his sled the first time they meet.  Derek has lived in Snowy Pine Ridge all his life, and he has no use for the big city folks who sometimes come through… even if this particular city slicker has the most arresting green eyes he’s ever seen and a laugh that rivals the jingle of Christmas bells. Still, when she comes to him asking for help with an abandoned puppy, he can’t say no.  Lacy certainly isn’t looking for love this holiday season. But as she and Derek navigate the hijinks of the mischievous pup, delve into a mystery from her family’s past, and uncover a buried secret, she starts to realize that sometimes…  Love finds you even when you’re not looking for it. (picture and description at Amazon)

Book #41 was a quick read, only 100ish pages, and it was probably a small book, since I read it in about 2 hours.  It was ok, but nothing to write home about.  Sorry!

Jake and Marlee, a tired married couple, are about to call it quits. Over time they have drifted apart; the sparks are dead. Marlee is convinced she married the wrong man, and Jake feels tied down to the wrong woman. Jake is distant and tired of being controlled, while Marlee is tired of being the only one trying to the save their marriage. They go to bed Christmas Eve, in separate rooms, each rationalizing... life is too short to be miserable... love shouldn't hurt like this... their marriage must end for happiness to return.  But then something peculiar happens: The ghosts of Marriage Past, Marriage Present, and Marriage Future reveal to them their past choices and present realities, and how their future might look if they do not change their stories.  Jake and Marlee experience a Christmas gift that will radically change their thinking and cause them to look at marriage not for what they can get out of it, but for what God can do in and through their marriage. (PIcture and description at Amazon)

Now I have to find a new one to read quick before I see what Deanie chooses for us for Book Club on Thursday!

Don't you love Christmas books?!?

Melissa

The World's Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant, book #39

 

So, funny story about this book.  It caught my eye this summer and I added it to my list of possible books for our FHS Book Club, since it is not a "Christian" book.  Amazingly, everyone chose it to read for our second book!  I was thrilled, until .... I realized it is a new book so it was very pricey.  But no one seemed to mind so on I went.  

Then I started reading it and really, really loved it!  It was the type of book I thoroughly enjoyed, written in a funny, lighthearted style.  But the -- Yikes!  I realized all the other books we have read for that Book Club are NOT written in funny, lighthearted style!  And then I got afraid no one would like it and they would say mean stuff about it!  So, fingers crossed, maybe some people liked it! :)

Olivia Blunt is thrilled to be hired as assistant to the nationally renowned investigator Aubrey Merritt. She longs to become a valued contributor to the great detective’s work, but Merritt is a difficult, exacting boss, and the learning curve is steeper than she expected. After weeks of boring computer work, Olivia is finally invited to join Merritt on an important case. On the night of her sixty-fifth birthday party, Victoria Summersworth somehow fell over her balcony railing to her death on the rocky shore of Vermont’s Lake Champlain. She was a happy woman—rich, beloved, in love, and matriarch of the preeminent Summersworth family. The police ruled her death a suicide, but Victoria’s daughter Haley thinks it was murder. Merritt and Olivia soon discover that the Summersworth family is complicated web of lies, ambitions, and resentments. As the list of suspects grows, Olivia makes one apparent mistake after another. When she blunders into a truly dangerous situation, she realizes Merritt might be right: she might be in over her head with this whole detective thing…or she might be unravelling a mystery even bigger than the one they started with.  (picture and description at Amazon)

So now, finally, I get to start reading Christmas books!

O:)

Melissa

I'll Be Home for Christmas, book #38

 

So, finally a Christmas book ...

Back story ~ If you remember I like to read Christmas books in November and December, because there are so many good ones I want to read!  However, November started with me reading our Book Club book and then I learned that our Faculty Book Club would meet after Thanksgiving, and that book is not a Christmas book either!  So, I decided to sneak in a Christmas book in between the two.

I started reading one book I had gotten from the stash at my MILs house, however it was not only NOT a Christian book, I didn't get too far into it to realize this was NOT the type of book I wanted to read!  So for the first time in recorded history, I actually stopped reading the book and picked up another one.  

Ugh but this book was just a drag to read.  It is set in the mid-1940s during WWII and I don't know if it was the style or the long drawn out plot or what, but I feel like if this had been a shorter book there is a chance I would have liked it more.  Blech!  

With Bing Crosby's "I'll Be Home for Christmas" playing in the background, Maggie Culpepper and William Byrd proclaim their undying love to one another. But with the U.S. at war and Maggie's personal home front under attack, the Southern belle impetuously joins the WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service).  When Christmas draws near and Maggie finds herself miles and miles away from her Georgia hometown...and her beloved William...will she realize that, no matter where she spends Christmas, home is where her heart is? (picture and description at Amazon)

I have started the one for our other Book Club to finish it and then jump all in to Christmas books!

Have you read any good Christmas books lately?

Melissa

Candle in the Darkness, book #37

 

This book threw me for a doozy.  I've read SO MANY books on the Civil War ~ men/boys gone off to fight, women/slaves/children left at home, etc etc and they never really bothered me.  (Well, except for this one)  But for some reason this one really bothered me.  Poor Caroline was really caught in the middle of her passion and true love.  I wonder how many other women were in her shoes back then?

The daughter of a wealthy slave-holding family from Richmond, Virginia, Caroline Fletcher is raised to believe slavery is God-ordained and acceptable. But on awakening to its cruelty and injustice, her eyes are opened to the men and women who have cared tirelessly for her. At the same time, her father and her fiance, Charles St. John, are fighting for the Confederacy and their beloved way of life and traditions.  Where does Caroline's loyalty lie? Emboldened by her passion to make a difference and her growing faith, will she risk everything she holds dear? (picture and description at Amazon)

I am supposed to be jumping into my next book for the FHS Book Club, but I think I need to sneak a Christmas book in first :)  

Keep Reading

Melissa

Match Me if You Can, book #36

 

Usually I love all of my hometown girl Krista Phillips' books I have read, but this one did not live up to what I had hoped.  It *is* a novella, so I guess she had to pack a lot into less than 150 pages, but I think I might have liked it more if there was more room to flesh it out a little. Also, the premise of this series is absolutely ridiculous.

However, for the record, I was looking for a quick read to hold me over to November when I like to start reading Christmas books.  However also, I just learned that I guess the other people in the two book clubs I'm don't enjoy reading Christmas books in December, as they picked reguloar books.  So I'm just going to read them fast so I can get onto what I really want to read 😊

There is no way this matchmaking thing is going to work...Ava Raleigh is going to strangle her best friend. Conned into going on a trip to the Bahamas for "Matchmaking" Week, Ava determines to do everything she can to not be matched. Former NFL football player Sean Jackson is only on this trip because he loves his mother-nothing more. Sure, he feels guilty that some woman is paired with him and will be disappointed that he isn't interested-but that's bound to happen to most of the couples anyway, right? Will this unwilling match end up finding love after all, or will the past come back to haunt them both? (picture and description from Amazon)

It's almost Fa-La-La season!

Melissa

Ten Years Taken, book #35

 

This book stumped me.  Let me tell you why.  

I was going to read it after I finished the insane Rachel Price book, but I knew I would need a little break since it looked like they were going to be somewhat similar.

I was the one who chose this book for our regular book club, and I was so excited to read it.  I absolutely LOVE Susannah B. Lewis as a person and her FB posts make me laugh out loud and ponder many things.  I had just had the opportunity to see her (and my other two podcast besties Angela and Fran) at a women's conference back in October.  That was the first time I had met her and she was just as lovely in person as she is on FB.  Real, gritty, hilarious, in love with Jesus and her fam.  I have read another one of her books and thoroughly enjoyed.  

And don't get me wrong, I loved this book too.  It looks like it was written earlier, in fact this may have been one of the first ones she wrote, although Amazon says this is a revised edition, so I'm not sure what was revised.  My challenge was, there was language in here that made me uncomfortable to read.  That made me uncomfortable to think about this being from a Christian author. At this point, I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt, in that this was probably written when maybe she didn't have as much Jesus in her.  And we all know, nobody's perfect.  I am *certainly* not throwing the first stone, as I know there are just as many that could be thrown at me.  I was just a little embarrassed that I had raved over Susannah and how amazing she was as a Biblical teacher to my Book Club Buddies, only to then read the book and see the language in it.  

On a rainy September day in 2001, a stranger enters Elle Holley’s car and forces her to drive hours away from her Nashville home. The terrified young mother fears her life will soon end at the hand of her abductor. But Elle learns that her kidnapper, Jonathan Marsh, is a prominent Houston businessman who claims to be saving her from a life of middle-class monotony by taking her home to Texas, marrying her and molding her into the ultimate socialite. With a new identity, Elle is forced to play the role of Jonathan’s loving housewife, and it doesn’t take long for her to discover that her new husband is an incredibly powerful and cunning man. Elle is accepted by high society, and she slowly forms friendships, but soon secrets are uncovered that leave her wondering if her husband is truly the villain. Will Elle Holley ever be reunited with her daughter and with her life of middle-class monotony? (picture and description at Amazon)

But we keep reading anyway ... 

:)

Melissa

Autumn by the Sea, book #34

 

This book has been sitting by my bedside table for a while just waiting for the perfect time to read it, and October was the perfect time!  I have read other book by this author, but it has been a while.  She does get a little detail heavy at times, but the story was great!  I can't wait to read the others in the series -- after I read my Christmas books! :)

Abandoned as a toddler, Sydney Rose has spent years wondering who she really is, homesick for a life she’s never lived. When a private investigator crashes into her world, she finds herself heading to a tiny seaside town in Maine to meet a woman named Maggie, who’s searching for the granddaughter she lost decades ago.  If not for Maggie, Neil MacKean might still be back in Scotland, bereft and alone. Instead, he has a full life in Muir Harbor with an adopted family he loves and a blueberry farm to run. But the farm is struggling and strange occurrences have him concerned. Worse, Maggie’s once again caught up in the past, convinced she’s finally found her long-lost granddaughter.  Worried for Maggie, Neil is suspicious of the city girl who shows up at the farm. But there’s something about Sydney that tugs on him, drawing out secrets he never meant to share. While Neil grapples with the future of the farm, Sydney wrestles with a past that’s messier than ever. Together, they’re pulled into a mystery complete with a centuries-old legend, unexpected danger . . . and a love as deep and wild as the sea. (Picture and description at Amazon)

I'm finishing up one book for Book Club, then I will be ready to start reading Christmas books!  I usually read them in November and December because there are so many good ones!

Happy Halloween!

Melissa

The Cumberland Bride, book #33

 

Interesting little book for a break from the craziness of the last one. Pioneers, indians (good and bad), the whole nine yards of goodness! :)  Not sure I would read the rest in the series, except that there are different authors who wrote the different books, so that may tempt me at some time.  But I also have over 400 books on my paperwhite, plus the paperbacks here crying for attention.  

Thomas Bledsoe and Kate Gruener are traveling the Wilderness Road when conflicts between natives and settlers reach a peak that will require each of them to tap into a well of courage.  In 1794, when Kate Gruener's father is ready to move the family farther west into the wilderness to farm untouched land, Kate is eager to live out her own story of adventure like he did during the War for Independence and to see untamed lands. And she sets her sights on learning more about their scout, Thomas Bledsoe. Thomas's job is to get settlers safely across the Kentucky Wilderness Road to their destination while keeping an ear open for news of Shawnee unrest. But naïve Kate's inquisitive nature could put them both in the middle of a rising tide of conflict. Is there more to Thomas's story than he is willing to tell? Is there an untapped courage in Kate that can thwart a coming disaster? (picture and description from Amazon)

I have about 3 weeks left before reading Christmas books so I'm trying to decide what book to squeeze in before I start on my book club book.  I got a great new non-fiction book, but I'm not sure I'm feeling that just yet.  

Keep reading!

Melissa

The Reappearnace of Rachel Price, book #32

 

Oh my filpping word!  This is the book we read for FHS Faculty Book club.  At first I was intrigued, then I wasn't sure I was going to like it, then the twists got so twisty I thought I was riding a roller coaster, then I stayed up WAYYY TOOOO LATE reading the last half of the book because I HAD TO FIND OUT WHO THE LIAR WAS!!!!   (hint: they all were)

Needless to say, I highly recommend it.

Eighteen-year-old Bel has lived her whole life in the shadow of her mom’s mysterious disappearance. Sixteen years ago, Rachel Price vanished and young Bel was the only witness, but she has no memory of it. Rachel is gone, long presumed dead, and Bel wishes everyone would just move on.  But the case is dredged up from the past when the Price family agrees to a true crime documentary. Bel can’t wait for filming to end, for life to go back to normal. And then the impossible happens. Rachel Price reappears, and life will never be normal again. Rachel has an unbelievable story about what happened to her. Unbelievable, because Bel isn’t sure it’s real. If Rachel is lying, then where has she been all this time? And—could she be dangerous? With the cameras still rolling, Bel must uncover the truth about her mother, and find out why Rachel Price really came back from the dead . . . From world-renowned author Holly Jackson comes a mind-blowing masterpiece about one girl’s search for the truth, and the terror in finding out who your family really is.  (Picture and description from Amazon)

The next book I was going to read has a similar plot but I feel like a I need to take a break and find a light hearted love story to carry me for a while :)

Keep Reading!

Melissa

Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law, book #31

 

Absolutely hysterical, lots of science snuck in when you weren't looking, and eye opening all at the same time.  

What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology.  Roach tags along with animal-attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and "danger tree" faller blasters. Intrepid as ever, she travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St. Peter’s Square in the early hours before the pope arrives for Easter Mass, when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display. She taste-tests rat bait, learns how to install a vulture effigy, and gets mugged by a macaque.  Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and trespassing squirrels, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature’s lawbreakers. When it comes to "problem" wildlife, she finds, humans are more often the problem―and the solution. Fascinating, witty, and humane, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat. (picture and description at Amazon)

Next I'll be working on TWO book club books, as it is finally time for our Franklin High School Faculty Book Club to start up again!

Keep Reading!

Melissa

Up from the Ash Heap (The Mountain Redemption Series Book 1); book #30

 

There were many things I liked about this book and a few I didn't.  I love how it follows the story of Ruth and Naomi, just set in a different time period.  However, they seemed to focus A LOT on the miserableness of Raye and Emeline and that was only sad sad sad.  I mean, you know somehow the good guy is going to come and rescue them, but when?!?  He doesn't show up until nearly the last 25% of the book. And I wondered how far they would take the "laying down and uncovering his feet" thing, I must say they took a lot of poetic liberty with that.  

There are two other books in the series, about the other two sister-in-laws, but I'm not sure if I'll read them or not.  I know others might, so I'll see if they think it is worth it.

Raya Applewood is always laughing, and as loyal as the day is long. But when a tragedy rips through the Applewood family leaving her husband and his two brothers dead, she has a difficult choice ahead. Should she go back East with her mother-in-law where she would face prejudice and hardship, or return to her father’s house? Either way, the road ahead is riddled with difficulties.  Atlas Fairbury is a wealthy businessman who never figured on marrying. But when a beautiful young widow enters his employment, her character, loyalty, and capacity for love turn his head. As he falls deeply for her, he wants to give her every good thing to make her life better. The only problem is, she feels unworthy of his love and incapable of receiving it. Raya appreciates everything Atlas has done for them and seeks to show her gratitude through her service. Working long hours to convey her thanks, she can’t understand why he’s displeased by her efforts. After both heartache and joy, Raya finds herself with another choice to make. This time, with all their futures hanging in the balance, she needs the guidance of Mother Emaline—and her Redeemer—to find her way forward.  Will Raya continue to only accept what she can earn, or will she finally realize that love has always been a gift freely given and receive it as such, allowing herself to be loved more fully than she could ever deserve? And if so, will she be too late?  (picture and description from Amazon)

I have started a fun little non fiction book I can't wait to share with you when I finish it.  And our Franklin Faculty Book Club has picked a book I can't wait to read!

Happy Reading!

Melissa

The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak: Lessons on Faith from Nine BIblical Families, book #29

 

This book took me a while to get through, but it was really amazing and brought things I had never thought about:

 - It is through the bravery & sacrifice of Jochabed & Miriam that the entire story of Scripture unfolds.

 - At the heart of her story, although Naomi was grieving, she could see God's hand in her own life and in the lives of her people. So she stepped out in faith: she packed up to take her weary, grief stricken heart back to home to her people.

 - How long had it been since Zechariah had prayed for a son? Was there a point when he assumed it was no longer even worth asking? Are there hopes and dreams you've abandoned, things you prayed over for years and then put on a shelf for good? We often cannot see how God is weaving together the threads of our lives until long after the tapestry is complete. He may present you with an answer you never imagined decades after your original request.

 - As the man handpicked to lead the nation of Israel, David had once been humble and totally reliant of God. Let this be a bright red warning flag to every one of us. Just because we have walked closely with our heavenly Father, trusting Him through impossible challenges and seeing His faithfulness over and over again, does not mean we cannot fall into grievous sin.

God always keeps His promises, but not always in the way we expect….  “Have faith” is a phrase we hear all the time. But what does it actually look like to live it out? In The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak, Shannon Bream examines the lives of biblical women to see how God’s plans can turn our worlds upside down.  She tells the story of Jochebed, a mother who took enormous risks to protect her son, Moses, from Pharaoh. Could Jochebed have imagined that God’s actual design for her son involved flight into exile and danger? And yet this was all part of the master plan to deliver Israel from slavery. Another biblical mother, Rebekah, made terrible choices in an attempt to ensure her son’s place in history. And a daughter, Michal, struggled to keep her faithless father, Saul, from sin, while battling pride in herself.  Through these stories, Shannon explains the intimate connection between faith and family—and how God’s unexpected agenda can redefine the way we think about family. Not all of these mothers and daughters in the Bible were paragons of virtue. Like us, they were human beings who faltered and struggled to do their best. While some heard God’s voice, others chose their own paths. Through the lens of their imperfections, we can see how God used their stories to bring about His divine plans. He’s still doing the same work in our lives today.  The Mothers and Daughters of the Bible Speak shows that faith is more often a twisting road than a straight line. Yet, as the stories of biblical families attest, at the end of these journeys lies greater peace and joy than we could ever imagine. (picture and description from Amazon)

I've already started our next book club ~ and it looks amazing!  I can't wait to share it with you!

Keep Reading, even when you are busy!  You need to escape :)

Melissa

All She Left Behind, book #28

 

Moving right along during my Reading Era this summer ...

Already well-versed in the natural healing properties of herbs and oils, Jennie Pickett longs to become a doctor. But the Oregon frontier of the 1870s doesn't approve of such innovations as women attending medical school. To leave grief and guilt behind, as well as support herself and her challenging young son, Jennie cares for an elderly woman using skills she's developed on her own. When her patient dies, Jennie discovers that her heart has become entangled with the woman's widowed husband, a man many years her senior. Their unlikely romance may lead her to her ultimate goal--but the road will be winding and the way forward will not always be clear. Will Jennie find shelter in life's storms? Will she discover where healing truly lives? (Picture and description at Amazon)

I'm really thinking the next one will for sure be a non-fiction.  

Summer is over for me, as the students where I work will be back on Monday.  I've been at work for three weeks, but it always still feels like summer because we wear shorts & messy clothes and doesn't really feel like real work.  (But trust me, it is! 😏)

What are you reading these days?

Melissa

Sunrise Reef (Hope Harbor #11), book 27

 

Sigh, I always love me some Hope Harbor!  Last night as I was going to bed I told Katie I was going to finish this book and I was going to be sad, because I always hate ending these.  I did find out she is writing another one, but it won't come out until next spring!

After years of searching, Bren Ryan has found her place in Hope Harbor. Working as a barista suits her to a T, as does the laid-back vibe of her adopted town. Nothing is lacking in her life--except romance. But that's okay. Men are a complication she doesn't need.  Buttoned-up CPA Noah Ward isn't looking for love, either, when he arrives in town on a mission to convince his father to move closer to him. And he certainly doesn't intend to fall for the quirky, free-spirited woman who's taken up residence in his father's guest cottage. But when he finds himself sucked into her quest to help a struggling teen, might the two of them discover there's more to each other than meets the eye?  (picture and description at Amazon)

This week for Book Club we are making a road trip to Bowling Green to see our friend Marilyn who moved up that way.  We are all very excited!

Happy Reading!

Melissa

Driftwood Bay (Hope Harbor #5), book #26

 

When we decided to read the latest Hope Harbor novel I realized I had never read this one, so I went and remedied that quickly!  It is just amazing that even though I have read these with months in between, I con go right back to Hope or and see all my friends in a minute :)  Oh, if only Hope Harbor was a real place!

After tragedy upends her world, Jeannette Mason retreats to the tiny Oregon seaside town of Hope Harbor to create a new life. Vowing to avoid emotional attachments, she focuses on running her lavender farm and tearoom--until a new neighbor with a destructive dog and a forlorn little girl invades her turf. But she needn't worry. Dr. Logan West is too busy coping with an unexpected family, a radical lifestyle change, and an unruly pup to have any interest in his aloof and disagreeable neighbor.  Yet when both Jeanette and Logan find themselves pulled into the life of a tattered Christian family fleeing persecution in war-torn Syria, might they discover that love sometimes comes calling when it's least expected? (picture and description at Amazon)

I'm already half way through the new one, but I don't want it to end!  

Happy Summer Reading!

Melissa

The Last Exchange, book #25

 

Ok, when I first started this book I wasn't sure I was going to like it.  I mean, I'm always up for a good mystery, but this one had me stumped.  The chapters were all titled either After or Before and it took me nearly 3/4 of the book to figured out what happened to make an After and a Before.  I read it pretty quick, despite the fact that it leaped back and forth in time, mainly because I kept waiting for it to make sense.  But if you stick with it, in the end it all becomes clear.  There weren't too many surprises once you started figuring things out, but it was still a good read in the end.  

When MacThomas Pockets finished his last tour as part of the Scottish Special Forces, he was hired to consult for a film director to finesse some scenes that weren't working. In a twist he never saw coming, he ended up moving to L.A. to work as the bodyguard for movie star Maybe Joe Sue.  It didn't take long for Pockets to realize there were two Joe Sues: The Joe Sue the public saw with her perfect life and her Hollywood husband. And the private Joe Sue: the one with the traumatic youth that no amount of pills could cover up, who desperately wanted a child of her own.  Even after their paths diverged, he continued to track Joe Sue's life. Only a few would notice when the bottom fell out. But he did. And that's when he stepped in. (picture and description at Amazon)

I'm debating picking up a non-fiction for next time, but I'm just not sure yet.  I'm excited about our book for Book Club, but we aren't meeting until later in the month, so I feel like I could for sure squeeze in another book before I read that one.

Happy Reading!

Melissa

The Best Summer of our Lives, book #24

 

This book had been on my Amazon Books list for a while, because who doesn't like a good book by Rachel Hauck?, and my sweet Katie got it for me for my birthday.  I couldn't wait to get into it, and now that it is finally summer I "dove" right in.  10 stars ~ go read it!

Twenty years ago, the summer of '77 was supposed to be the best summer of Summer Wilde's life. She and her best friends, Spring, Autumn, and Snow--the Four Seasons--had big plans.  But those plans never had a chance. After a teenage prank gone awry, the Seasons found themselves on a bus to Tumbleweed, "Nowhere," Oklahoma, to spend eight weeks as camp counselors. All four of them arrived with hidden secrets and buried fears, and the events that unfolded in those two months forever altered their friendships, their lives, and their futures.  Now, thirtysomething, Summer is at a crossroads. When her latest girl band leaves her in a motel outside Tulsa, she is forced to face the shadows of her past. Returning to the place where everything changed, she soon learns Tumbleweed is more than a town she never wanted to see again. It's a place for healing, for reconciling the past with the present, and for finally listening to love's voice. (Picture and description at Amazon)

Happy Summer Reading!

Melissa

The Hideaway, book #23

 

I'm happy to report that this book ended up better than I originally thought.  Yes, it sounded like, as Katie said, many other books I've read, but it all came together nicely.  The thing that I didn't like about this book personally, is the lack to God/Jesus.  I may have been mistaken that she was a Christian fiction author, but it was published by Thomas Nelson.  

When her grandmother’s will wrenches Sara back to her small hometown of Sweet Bay, Alabama, she must face family secrets and difficult choices. In the South, family is always more complicated than it seems.  After her last remaining family member dies, Sara Jenkins goes home to The Hideaway, her grandmother Mags’s ramshackle B&B in Sweet Bay. She intends to quickly tie up loose ends then return to her busy life and thriving antique shop in New Orleans. Instead, she learns Mags has willed The Hideaway to her and charged her with renovating it—no small task considering her grandmother’s best friends, a motley crew of senior citizens, still live there.  Rather than hurrying back to New Orleans, Sara stays in Sweet Bay and begins the biggest house-rehabbing project of her career. Amid drywall dust, old memories, and a charming contractor, she discovers that slipping back into life at The Hideaway is easier than she expected.  Then she discovers a box Mags left in the attic with clues to a life Sara never imagined for her grandmother. With help from Mags’s friends, Sara begins to piece together the mysterious life of bravery, passion, and choices that changed her grandmother’s destiny in both marvelous and devastating ways.  When an opportunistic land developer threatens to seize The Hideaway, Sara is forced to make a choice—stay in Sweet Bay and fight for the house and the people she’s grown to love or leave again and return to her successful but solitary life in New Orleans. (picture and description at Amazon)

I have gotten a fair amount of rest from our big weekend and the months leading up to it, but I feel my laziness kicks in way too quick.  I always try to find a balance in these few weeks I have off.

Keep Reading!

O:)

Melissa